296 



The Forty-Sixth General Meeting. 



park, with tlieir quaint towers and cupola-shaped roofs. The first 

 of these, known as " Kent's House," is dated 1607, and contains a 

 considerable collection of rare birds, all of which were shot on the 

 estate. They include a kite, two bitterns, two ravens, ring ouzels, 

 hobby, phalarope, &c, &c. The second lodge has over the door 

 the inscription " Diana her hovs 1600," and has been well illustrated 

 in Blomfield's " Renaissance Architecture." 



From this point the party walked along the river and through 

 the very charming pleasure grounds surrounding the mansion. 

 On one of the lawns are several fine Renaissance capitals, which 

 apparently belonged to the earlier house, destroyed to make way 

 for the present edifice. 



Britton, in his " Beauties of Wiltshire" says : — 



" The present house was built on the site of the monastery, from designs of Inigo 

 Jones and was finished by Mr. Webb, his son-in-law." 



Fergusson, however (Hist, of Architecture, vol. iv.,292,), says: — ■ 



" Another design which is ascribed to Jones, but which certainly belongs to his 

 son-in-law, is that for Amesbury in Wiltshire which . . . has faults he 

 never would have committed. It is interesting, however, as one of the earliest 

 examples of the type on which nine-tenths of the seats of English gentry were 

 afterwards erected ; almost all subsequent houses consisting of a rusticated 

 basement, which contains the dining and business rooms ; a bel etage, and a 

 bedroom storey with attics in the roof. On the basement and running through 

 the two upper storeys is the portico — always for ornament, never for use, and 

 generally so badly applied as to be offensively obtrusive." 



After strolling through these delightful grounds, to which the river 

 gives a special character of their own, some of the Members, by 

 kind permission of the present ocoupier, Mr. Willis, visited the 

 building which was formerly Mr. Edwards' Museum. Here, 

 amongst other things, fine oak chests, etc., is still preserved in 

 excellent condition the good fifteenth century oak screen of the 

 Church, now the property of the Salisbury and South Wilts 

 Museum. It is very greatly to be desired that this screen may 

 some day be again replaced in the Church, from which it ought 

 never to have been removed. 



At the ANNIVEKSARY DINNEK, at the Greorge Hotel, thirty-four 

 Members and guests were present, a number which increased to 



